Living Light: Crystallized Chandeliers Transform into Modern Heirlooms

Crystals seeded onto discarded chandeliers and candelabras literally bloom like flowers over time, growing as if they’re alive. For his ‘Overgrown’ collection, artist Mark Sturkenboom accumulated unwanted objects and utterly transformed them, taking ‘trash to treasure’ to a whole new level. The chunky, irregular crystals are reminiscent of ice or salt and have a wild, uncontrollable appearance, mimicking what much of the Earth might look like if humans disappeared and it were left to its own devices.

That’s the idea behind the series, says Sturkenboom, who envisions “relics from a desolate flooded world.” After poring through junk shops and curbside toss-aways for antique brass chandeliers in Paris, the designer plated them in 14 karat gold and coated them in a crystal growing fluid he brewed himself, creating “the perfect conditions to set a hyperevolution in motion.”

The pieces in the Overgrown collection are presented in their finished state, but it would have been cool to see the whole process as the crystals developed, changing the shape of each object over time. They definitely look like they could have been pulled from the frozen sea a few thousand years from now, as the artist intended. They’re available via Sturkenboom’s website, ranging from 850-1200 euros.